Have you ever had an overwhelming problem or issue? Was there some circumstance in your life that seemed beyond your ability to handle it? Have you ever called out to God, Buddha, guardian angels, The Force, your higher self, Mohammed, Mother Earth, whatever name you give that spirit? To find an all-encompassing name without prejudice towards any one belief system, I'll just hereby use the word 'god' to refer to whatever or whoever it is that you pray to for assistance and guidance. Have you cried out to your god for help and guidance with some crisis in your life? Did you get an answer? Did you get help?

When we get the help and assistance we've just asked for, we assume all is well in the heavens. We think, 'Wahoo! Miracles really do happen!' However, when we don't get the answer or the help we were looking for, we often conclude that there is no god or that we've fallen out of favor. We seem to have mixed up our traditional beliefs stating that we have to jump through hoops and beg for our gods to favor us and the new age concepts that we can simply visualize anything we want into manifesting. Somewhere along the way, we seem to have rolled it all up into a belief that if we visualize what we want or demand that the gods assist us in the manner that we so choose, then we - ll get whatever we want whenever we want it to appear. What a spoiled bunch we have become.

Positive visualization and faith are intertwined. You really can't have one without the other. You cannot empower your visualizations without faith. Kind of a 'duh' statement, I know. Faith is not sitting around doing nothing while demanding miracles from the gods to come save you or to come clean up your mess. If you've made choices that have put you into a bad place, don't yell at the gods to bail you out. Don't just sit there doing nothing while expecting the heavens to fix it all for you. It's not their job. It's your job. Faith is trusting that if you work hard at finding solutions to your problems while following the Golden Rule, then things will turn out for the best. It's believing that the gods will help you find or cultivate the solutions you need.

The Golden Rule, karma, What Comes Around Goes Around, cause and effect, or whatever name you want to give it' it exists. If you make bad choices, bad things will happen. If you hurt people, people will hurt you. If you're living a negative lifestyle, then cry out for the gods to come save you from your misery, you're not likely to get any help. It's your life, your problems, your challenges. Learn, grow, heal, move forward. You can tell your god that you're sorry for your part in creating the problem and that you're ready to change it. Then prove it, by changing it. Your god will show itself somewhere along the way. Have faith and keep working.

Let's assume it's one of those times in life where you were happily going along doing your good deeds, having a positive attitude, and some nightmare blew up in your face anyway. What is your immediate response when that happens? Do you claim there is no god and that all of your positive thoughts and deeds were of no use? Do you lose faith that your god will guide you through the event? Do you quit being a good person with a positive attitude because of some negative circumstance outside of yourself? Or, do you hold strong to your god and to your positive beliefs? Do you roll up your sleeves and get to work on finding solutions with the basic belief system that you will find your way and that it all must have happened for some higher reason that maybe doesn't make sense right now? Do you trust that you'll see the lighter happier side of life again soon? Do you even find ways to continue seeing the beauty in life while overcoming the adversity?

How much of this is a self-fulfilling prophecy? Negative people who don't have very much faith in themselves, in life, or in some form of a god tend to use life's adversities as proof that they're correct for being so pessimistic. While people who are upbeat and positive, having faith in themselves, in life, or in some form of a god tend to use life's adversities to collect evidence that everything really does turn out for the best in the long run. Whether we believe in a god or not doesn't effect whether or not there is some form of god out there looking over us. I can't even say for sure that believing in a god will inspire that entity to like you or want to help you. All I know for sure is that when we walk in faith that things will get better, they usually do. When we believe things won't get better, they usually don't.

Do miracles happen? Absolutely! They happen to all kinds of people all of the time. They happen regardless of religion, gender, attitude, financial position, or how much power you have over others. By definition, they have a magical unexplainable mystery element that's integral to how it came to be. Whatever that force is that causes such things to happen, it is awe inspiring and beautiful. Can you force miracles to happen by demanding them or by blackmailing your god with the underlying belief system that if your miracle isn't delivered then you're going to turn your back on your god? Definitely not. You can coax them by recognizing them when they happen no matter how little they might be and by being thankful to whatever force you attribute them to. 'Thank you for your divine intervention, whoever you are.'

Copyright 2003, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow's Edge

Skye Thomas began writing books and articles with an everyday practical approach to spirituality, motivation, and inspiration in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, motivation, and parenting. More of her articles can be found at www.tomorrowsedge.net as well as free previews of her books.